A few days after the meeting Lifting restrictions at the National Institute of Viticulture (INV)promoted by the national government, four entities in the sector requested protection from Federal District Court No. 2 of Mendoza, to Stop canceling the Grape Income Certificate (CIU)He warned that the measure “disrupts property rights, breaks manufacturing contracts and prevents the collection of pension contributions” from the harvest.
It’s about Mendoza Wine Growers Association (AVM), Argentine Wine Federation (ultraviolet rays), and Association of Wine Cooperatives (Acovi) and Chamber of Agricultural Producers (Carpa), who filed a lawsuit requesting that the ruling be overturned Resolution 37/2025 Signed by INV President Carlos Raul Tizio Mayer, who cancels 973 standards It stops controlling the entire production process to focus only on Final product. This step is promoted by the Ministry of Liberation and Transformation in the country responsible for Federico SturzeneggerHe seeks Canceling 140,000 permits and 3,000 annual inspections to reduce the production costs of the activity.
In the mentioned The decision, which will come into effect from January 1, 2026, establishes the mandatory nature of the CIU and Annual Certificate of Preparation (CEC-05), Which will be replaced by a unilateral harvest certificate or a plant transit document (DTV). According to the court document, Abolishing the CIU is not just a bureaucratic simplification. As the government says, however “It involves destroying the property rights” of producers. The protection was requested due to the proximity of the 2026 harvest, which begins in February and which aims to “avoid irreparable damage to the next harvest.” Nation He tried to contact Tesio Mayer, but there was no response.
The central argument put forward by the petitioning entities is that The CIU acts as a wine’s “birth certificate.” For winegrowers who do not have their own winery and produce under the maquila system (handing over grapes to a third party), This document is the only official evidence attesting to the number and quality of kilograms deliveredwhich is crucial to later charging for your product.
The court file confirms this The new system proposed by INV allows the winery to submit a unilateral declaration, break “Binary” control and leave the basic product, The weakest link in the chain, “at the mercy of what the industrialist announces,” without the tools to defend his ownership.
Among other points he warns against is seeking protection – Determine the rural social security system. Currently, the alternative rate (the simplified mechanism by which producers pay their workers’ contributions through the union’s joint liability agreement) is calculated and collected automatically based on CIU data. In this sense, The entities warn that by deleting this document, “collection is completely discouraged.” This will push the sector back into informal work, increase evasion and leave thousands of vineyard workers without social security and retirement coverage.
And from a legal standpoint as well They accuse INV of “perversion of authority” and “apparent arbitrariness.” They assert that an administrative decision cannot override higher national laws, such as the Wine Law (14878), the Makila Law (25133), and the Vineyard Contractors Law. “The fraud-avoidance argument to justify CIU abolition does not stand up to any logic.” It emerges from the document and adds that “the installed monitoring tool for the unilateral advertising system is being changed It encourages speculation.”
days ago, Several entities in the sector sent a letter to Economy Minister Luis CaputoTo warn about the impact of these changes. In the document He called for maintaining traceability tools that ensure quality, transparency and ownership rights throughout the chain. The letter was signed by the production ministers of Salta, La Rioja, Catamarca, Jujuy, Entre Ríos, Río Negro, Chubut and La Pampa, and the wine industry entities that requested judicial protection, warning of the technical “mistake” involved in dismantling the current system. They said it frees up the digestive system “It directly impacts the overall traceability of the wine industry, It is a system that the sector has built and perfected for many years and forms the basis for ensuring transparency, control and security at all links in the chain.
After proceeding with the process, Minister Sturzenegger also traveled to Mendoza, Where a meeting was held at the headquarters Institute with chamber representatives Women entrepreneurs in the wine sector. In this context, a detailed report was issued Argentina has 200 thousand hectares planted with vineswhile chili He has 117,000 hectares (41% less surface area). Thus both countries produce Same size Of wine: approx 900 million liters per year.
Strictly speaking, the most important changes involve Cancellation of transport licenses for bulk wine, Moreover, the producers They will no longer have to wait for pre-approval from INV for their labels. The only remaining mandatory procedure is to request “Freedom of movementIts sole purpose is to verify that the wine is suitable for human consumption.